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The Netherlands

Dutch King speaks with members of MH17 research team

willem alexander

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has spoken to members of the MH17 research team.

The King travelled to Rotterdam on Wednesday and held discussions with those who have been investigating the MH17 disaster for years and the lawsuit relating to it. 193 of the victims were Dutch nationals.

His Majesty spoke to employees of the Public Prosecution Service, the Ministry of Justice and Security and the Dutch police. He heard about their experiences, their work, and the complexity of the investigation. There were also discussions about preparing relatives of the victims for the results and how it felt to work on such an investigation.

Both the King and his wife, Queen Máxima have met with investigators and relatives of victims several times since the tragedy.

MH17 was shot down on 17 July 2014 while flying over Ukraine. It had taken off from Amsterdam and was headed to Kuala Lumpur. All onboard (283 passengers and 15 crew) were killed. The governments of the Netherlands and Australia hold Russia responsible, but Russia continues to deny responsibility.

A criminal investigation was initiated with police and judicial authorities from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine joining together to work in a Joint Investigation Team (JIT). 

The trial for those believed responsible begins on 9 March in The Hague in the Schiphol Judicial Complex.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.